Publication Date
Second half of the 1st century – first half of the 2nd century / second half of the 6th century – first half of the 7th century
Publication Place
-
Madaba Archaeological Park
Subject
Stone mosaic cubes.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الطول: 25 م؛ العرض: 15 م
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
object;ISL;jo;Mus01_H;39;ar
Library Location
Madaba Archaeological Park
Date
Second half of the 1st century – first half of the 2nd century / second half of the 6th century – first half of the 7th century
Notes
The Massouh Church is located in Hisban, 10 km north of Madaba. In 1970, several archaeological excavations were carried out, during which it became clear that the site dates back to several periods starting from the 5th century AD (before Islam, and before the Hijri calendar, which begins its first year on July 16, 622 AD) until the 1st / 7th century. Two layers of mosaic floors were found in the church: the lower layer dates back to the 6th century AD, and has not undergone any changes; The upper layer of the floor dates back to the 7th century AD, and large parts of it were destroyed during the iconoclasm (the removal of human and animal figures) and were replaced with larger mosaic pieces. This mosaic floor consists of a carpet decorated with a rectangular network of rosettes, inside some of which appear animal figures, one of which depicts a lion looking towards an inscription mentioning the date of construction of this church. There is another inscription that appears on this mosaic floor, showing the names of the people who built the church, the names of donors to the church in the time of Bishop Theodore, and members of the Christian clergy. There is a mosaic floor in the altar decorated with scrolls of grape leaves surrounded by a frame decorated with acanthus leaves, inside which there are animal and plant figures that were destroyed during the iconoclasm. The mosaic floor in the nave of the church contains a frame of an acanthus plant surrounding two panels. They are decorated with human and animal figures within a cruciform grid with a concave end that fills the eastern part of the church nave. The eastern panel depicts a scene of a boat, a fisherman with a rod, and circles filled with birds and flowers. These forms were destroyed during the Iconoclasm, and replaced with floral decorations, crosses and some buildings. Also, the hunting scenes, which are part of the decorative band of the church’s mosaics, were destroyed during the iconoclasm period in the 1st / 7th century. After this period, the church was rebuilt and used, but part of the basic columns were removed and the foundation pits were covered with white mosaic pieces.
Sample Text
Ghada Al-Yousef “Misuh Mosaic” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;jo;Mus01_H;39;ar
